


Travelling Buddies

by AristocatSlippers



Category: Arslan Senki | Heroic Legend of Arslan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 02:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12546656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AristocatSlippers/pseuds/AristocatSlippers
Summary: On a ride through the mountain to their next destination a landslide separates Gieve and Elam from everyone else. Making their way back to them suddenly involves a tired Elam and Gieve having some fun, trying to teach him how to flirt.





	Travelling Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> So this one's inspired by some hilarious fanart done by my lovely tumblr mutual inokinako

Gieve slowed his horse with a sigh, there wasn’t the slightest chance he’d be getting past that rubble any time soon. Elam pulled to a stop beside him, they were well and truly separated from the rest of their party. It wasn’t that big of a deal - if they could find a detour they could easily meet back up. **  
**

If they hadn’t been lagging behind to begin with then they wouldn’t have been cut off by the sudden landslide. The ground had barely even shook but the loose rocks had still come tumbling down above their heads. Though, it was better by a mile just to have to find their way back to the Prince than have been trapped under it and crushed to death. 

Gieve’s only real problem was, much as he loved Elam - and really he did - he hated the idea of being separated from Lady Farangis. In his absence who knows how many other men may try to win her affections?! He’d just have to return to her side as quickly as possible then. His eyes dart around the mountain, looking for a way to take their horses so they can catch up; it’s too dark to see far in the distance though. Clouds cover up what little sliver of light the moon might have provided them. He ties the horses to a tree so they can’t wander off, it’s not like they’ll be going anywhere tonight.  

There’s a rustling amongst the sparse trees around him, he looks around trying to find the source of it. There’s no one there though - Elam, he’s gone! Gieve points his bow toward the noise, arrow aimed and ready to fly. When someone emerges he almost shoots them but changes the trajectory last second. 

The arrow goes whizzing by Elam’s ear, he dodges to the left and narrowly avoids it. Elam’s eyes narrow angrily, somehow Gieve is just slightly intimidated by it - despite knowing he’d be the sure winner if they fought. 

Elam emphasises the load of firewood and stones in his arms, “I went to get firewood and you decided that you would shoot me for it…?” He dumps them on the ground and picks up a solitary stone; Elam throws it full force at his head. It hits him with a quiet thud upon impact.

It sends him staggering backwards. "Ow!" he shouts, "That hurt!" 

Elam crosses his arms again, "Congratulations, it was supposed to." Elam snickers quietly, laughing at him. 

Gieve rubs at the sore red patch it leaves on his forehead. What an irritating little brat… He grits his teeth, he could endure a few days alone with him. At least he could pull his own weight though, they had firewood - and firewood meant warmth. What it didn’t necessarily mean was food however. Auditing the contents of his bag, he finds bread and cheese enough to make a meal for the both of them - and enough stolen gold to buy out half a kingdom if he wished to. 

Behind him the fire sparks to life, crackling as the light wind blows its flames around. He divides the bread and cheese into halves, hands some to Elam then settles uncomfortably against a tree near the fire. The rocky ground doesn’t really provide them much luxury. Elam throws some more sticks onto the fire, staring fixedly as the flames lick at them and eat them up. It swells just a tiny bit. He pulls his cloak tight around him like a blanket and does his best to fall asleep. 

Gieve stays awake a little too long, the hard earth and paranoia of possible - or possibly imaginary - enemies nearby does him no favours. He can sleep soundly when he’s in an inn full of beautiful maidens with a soft feather mattress beneath him and a silky quilt to cover him. Thinking about it, there’d been a small village some ways from the mountain they were on. He’d have to backtrack a bit but at least he’d have his inn. Distracted, he drifts off to sleep.

* * *

Both their spines ache when they wake up, Elam stretches his muscles as much as possible though it doesn’t do much to help. Finally in bright sunlight, they look for a path to find their way forward on the mountain. Their only option ends up being turning back and going around the mountain, one side holds nothing but a steep ledge too high to climb up, the other is a sheer drop of around 15 feet. The rubble in front is too unstable to try climbing over, one of the rocks teeters over the edge. Neither Gieve nor Elam wants to chance it on them.  

Gieve is secretly satisfied - he gets to go to his inn after all.

They travel in near silence on nearly empty stomachs. It’s at least uneventful so they get to conserve some of their energy, if it weren’t for the jolting gallop of the horses they might have fallen asleep. They don’t get to the bottom of the mountain before nightfall; the sun is long set over the horizon before they manage to make it to the little village.

He knows there’ll be an inn there somewhere in the little village, but it suddenly strikes him that he doesn’t quite know exactly where. He dismounts from his horse and leads it around, slowly finding himself more and more lost.

“Gieve, do you actually know where the inn is?” Elam accusatorily asks him. 

“Of course I do!” He snaps back annoyed, his face contorting with frustration. He’d been hoping for somewhere to knock back a drink and crash. 

“Do you now?” Elam raises a challenging eyebrow, “Then point me in its direction will you, I’d like an actual bed to sleep in regardless of whether you’re going to wander around like a ghost haunting the halls of a castle.” 

Even Gieve could be lost for words sometimes, he finds, but Gieve notices the single light from a window; this late at night it could only be an inn. He smugly nods in its direction, “It’s over there now let’s go.” He hopes there’ll be at least a few beauties around.

Warm light spills out the open door of the inn as they walk in. Tired and bedraggled, Gieve wishes for one of the cups of beer that he can hear bearded, fat-bellied men clinking behind him. They’re red in the face from the alcohol and somewhat rowdy but they all seem well-natured enough not to start any fights at the sight of newcomers. Gieve blows out a relieved breath he didn’t realise he was holding.

Elam strides up to the counter, weakly smiling at the bartender or innkeeper or whoever - he didn’t really care. 

“One room with two beds please, and is it possible for you to put our horses up in your stables?”  Elam requests as politely as possible but can’t quite keep the fatigue out of his voice. 

The man looks on at him kindly “Sure if you can pay 10 gold coins for it.” 

Elam whips around to stare expectantly at Gieve with his hand outstretched, Gieve is about to protest that that’s far too much but the glare set in stone upon Elam’s face is enough to shut him up. He pulls out one of his small canvas bags of coins and hands it over. However much Elam wants Elam can have - as long as he gets his bed he’s fine. 

Once he hands over the payment the man immediately calls to someone serving alcohol around the inn.

“Silk! Go outside and put up their horses in the stable whilst I show them to their rooms.”

Silk slams down his tray of beers onto a table, earning him annoyed shouts from some of the more drunken drunkards when they almost spill. He ambles outside through a side door, petting the horses when they whinny at him. The bartender hands Elam a key and points up the stairs to his left, “Second door on the right is your room, as you can see the common room is still open if you want to stay down here for a while.”

Gieve nods and slides over some more money, “Two beers please.”

Elam scowls but sits at the table Gieve gestures towards. Gieve gently places the two beers on the table in front of him, cradling his own between his hands. Elam looks at it apprehensively but eventually takes a sip at Gieve’s coaxing - it’s an odd kind of bitter with a somehow enticing taste. He takes another sip of the strong drink, thinking that had Narsus been there he might have stopped Gieve from pressuring him into alcohol. Irresponsible as he was, he would never let someone Elam’s age drink. 

He’s slightly tipsy when Gieve waves at some of the tavern’s women to come join them. For women in an inn late at night they’re surprisingly beautiful. Gieve notes this to himself, he always seems to find beauties wherever he goes. 

He places his hand on his heart and starts with one of his poetic lines, “Your hair is as black as night but I don’t ever recall night being so breathtaking!” 

The lady he addresses it to giggles next to him, quietly blushing at the compliment. It just spurs Gieve on.

“Yet it is nothing compared to the sapphire of your eyes, though I’ve never seen such a precious jewel among even the finest of sapphires!” 

She giggles once again, “Your skin is as-”

“Why do you do that?” Elam slurs slightly, cutting him off.

Gieve glances at him strangely, “Do what?”

“Flirt with every women you meet. Is there even a limit to it?”

His comment annoys Gieve slightly, even moreso when the woman he was complimenting stomps off offended, at least she’s the only one to leave and not all of them do. Gieve’s brows furrow for a moment. “It’s not flirting, I’m just ensuring they know their beauty is appreciated in the most eloquent manner of speech possible.”

Elam lowers his head and mumbles into his drink, “Yeah, sure”

Gieve’s face twists into a slight frown, “Why don’t you give it a try if you’re so doubtful of my good intentions.”  

Like Gieve ever had good intentions, Elam mulls it over for a moment, “Alright, whatever.” He stares Gieve straight in the face, “Are you sugar because you’re quite sickly sweet?”

Gieve sighs, “No! You have to say something better than that, that’s almost an insult! In fact, it IS an insult. Say something more like ‘Not even a rose can hold a candle to you, my flower’ - anything but that awful line! Try again!” Gieve stands up affronted.

Elam closes his eyes for a moment and takes another sip, “Is your name Earth? It must be - because you mean the world to me.”

Gieve slaps a palm to his forehead in disappointment, it’s a slight improvement but not by much. How could he have spent so much time with him and be so terrible at this? “Again, not good enough, you won’t win anyone’s heart with that rubbish attempt! This is what a compliment is, ‘Never have I thought anything more wondrous than the beauty of a summer evening before I laid eyes upon you’” 

It almost feels like a challenge to Elam, although he isn’t the competitive type. “It’s not like I really care,” he mutters, pausing for a moment, then louder, “Even the sun doesn’t shine as brightly as your eyes, they radiate brightness even it cannot. I’ve never known a man not to love the sun and never shall I know a man not to love the beauty of your eyes.”

Gieve stops for a moment, the kid actually came up with a good line. He starts clapping, somehow proud of him. He’d found himself a little protege. Gieve is about to try and coach Elam a little more when he realises he’s fallen asleep. Just like that, snap your fingers and he’s already drifted off. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten him drunk… 

Gieve picks him up and swings Elam’s arms around his neck so he can carry him. He bids farewell to the women still sitting with them and carries him upstairs. Once he has him settled in one of the beds he heads back downstairs to finish off his night.

* * *

They leave first thing in the morning, both of them with pounding headaches and full stomachs courtesy of the inn. Their horses run especially quickly, far more refreshed than the two of them. Avoiding anymore injury to their heads they keep quiet on the way back. Going round the mountain takes them longer than cutting straight through would have but eventually they find the camp that they were supposed to be riding to. They slip inside quietly, wanting a place to rest before they announce their arrival. It’d been a tiring few days and a nap was in order.

Elam ties up his horse and Gieve’s with the rest of the horses around and tries to find himself an empty tent. He darts inside one at random. He’s relieved to finally be able to sit down on something other than a horse. 

He’s also relieved to not have to spend anymore time with Gieve, “Allow me to tie your shoe… because I can’t have you fall for anyone else.” Elam mocks him. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Gieve but he admittedly thought the man’s behaviour was sometimes ridiculous. 

“Elam?”

“D-d-d-denka?! When did you get here?!” Elam jumps back horrified, he hadn’t realised he wasn’t alone when he’d flirted with thin air…

Outside the commotion-filled tent, Gieve could already feel Farangis’ arrow in the back of his head.  


End file.
